Medicaid

Knowledge is key to making work incentive programs successful. With this in mind, the state of Washington created training curricula for those completing WIPA or the state sponsored Ben Plan Academy. The attached presentations outline, in detail, state specific Medicaid work incentives, and include links to additional resources. This training material could be helpful to other states looking for an effective training approach, or sample training materials.

The Center for Health Care Strategies works with states, health plans and federal policymakers to spearhead innovative approaches for integrating Medicare and Medicaid services. They have developed an online toolkit which includes policy-related materials, program design, financing, performance measurement and consumer engagement using hands-on tools to help guide state efforts, and sample documents from states that have successfully implemented integrated approaches. A TA brief is attached.

Guidance on the implementation of Section 2001 of the Affordable Care Act: Medicaid Coverage for the Lowest Income Populations is provided. This legislation establishes a new eligibility group and the option for states to begin providing medical assistance to eligible individuals as of April 1, 2010. To implement the 1902(k)(2) option to cover this group, states must submit an amendment to their State Medicaid plans.

The fragmentation of care for dually eligible beneficiaries is an ongoing concern. This brief discusses potential methods of reducing this fragmentation and improving nursing facility care for this population. Recommendations involve concentrating responsibility and accountability for prescription drug use, providing financial incentives for nursing facilities to reduce avoidable hospitalizations, and shifting responsibility for long-term nursing facility care from Medicaid to Medicare.

Explore how Medicaid policies have been used in some states to expand the range and availability of services. Third in a series, this brief explains why these policies lead to so much variation in current state Medicaid long-term care programs. It also draws lessons from innovative states to suggest reforms in national Medicaid policies that would make home and community based services accessible to more program participants.

People with disabilities having to choose between meaningful work and income, and access to health insurance and needed services, is a problem being addressed by an increasing number of states through the Medicaid Buy-In program. The state of Alabama created the policy paper attached below, outlining the policy objectives and proposed design of their program. It could be a useful resource for other states proposing a MIG program of their own.

Does providing Medicaid long-term supports and services influence dually eligible Medicaid recipients’ use of Medicare? Third in a series, this report is intended to provide background information on the interplay of Medicare and Medicaid resources using data from one state (Maryland) as an example for analysts who are examining similar issues at state and federal levels.

Interested in statistical analysis of MIG grant programs? The following presentation represents Idaho’s Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities (MWD) program. The program’s history and its’ current state are outlined here alongside graphs and charts with corresponding data. It’s an example of how to chart out a state’s MIG program alongside statistical analysis and could be beneficial to other states looking to do the same.

Choices about employment and lifestyle are often made without full understanding of the many rules. The State of Utah wants its service providers and teachers to understand all the options so they can inform and empower people with disabilities to have increased earnings and improved quality of life. The attached presentations are training materials detailing Medicaid Work Incentives. One presentation is directed at agency and provider personnel, and the other to future teachers.

This presentation was part of the 2007 Government and Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent Workshop. This presentation provided an update on policies regarding self-direction, with an emphasis on those related to fiscal management activities. The session also answered some of the more frequently asked questions and explored some of the differences between section 1915(c) waiver programs and the new State Plan options for self-directed services.